SUBANG: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese departed for home on Thursday (April 16) night after a two-day official visit to Malaysia.
Albanese was accorded a red-carpet ceremonial send-off and a guard of honour by the First Battalion of the Royal Ranger Regiment, under the command of Capt Muhammad Nafis Norshid.
The aircraft carrying Albanese and his delegation departed for Australia from the Royal Malaysian Air Force Base here at 8.30pm.
Also present to see him off was Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Arthur Joseph Kurup.
Albanese arrived here Wednesday (April 15) and was accorded an official welcome at the Perdana Putra Complex in Putrajaya today, followed by a four-eyed meeting with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and a bilateral meeting involving senior ministers and officials from both countries.
Following the meetings, both leaders witnessed the exchange of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) covering areas of mutual interest.
Albanese also visited the PETRONAS Twin Towers and held discussions with Arthur and PETRONAS chief operating officer Mohd Jukris Abdul Wahab.
Australia is a significant economic partner for Malaysia, ranking as Malaysia's 12th largest trading partner in 2025, with total bilateral trade valued at RM78.63bil (US$18.38bil).
Malaysia and Australia elevated their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in 2021, providing a framework to further expand cooperation across three key pillars: economic prosperity, society and technology, and defence and regional security. - Bernama
